The Cooler, a new venue for jazz and improvised music, is set to open in Dublin's Smithfield as part of MusicTown later this month.
A former Fyffes banana-ripening unit in the fruit and vegetable market area of Smithfield in Dublin 7, the new venue is a collaboration between Improvised Music Company (IMC) and multi-disciplinary arts venue The Complex.
The Cooler will open its doors for the first time on Saturday, 29 July with sets from ZASKA, The Dana Masters Band, H-ci and Izumi Kimura.
"In our ongoing struggle to find new spaces to perform in Dublin City it is really exciting to include the launch of a brand-new venue in this year's MusicTown line-up," says MusicTown Creative Director Leagues O’Toole.
"In the hands of the IMC we can be guaranteed that these two shows are just the beginning of an ongoing exciting programme for The Cooler, which is good news for everyone."
Caitríona O'Mahony of IMC adds "It's fantastic to be working with The Complex to make a new hub for jazz and improvised music happen at The Cooler.
"It's something Ireland's jazz and improvising musicians have been crying out for at least 20 years, and we've already seen an incredible outpouring of creativity from the artists who have been able to use the space to explore and develop new work.
"While there's still plenty left to do in terms of creating space for artists of all kinds, we're really proud to be building space for the community and look forward to welcoming audiences in for some fantastic music."
According to IMC, "The Cooler will be an intimate, small-capacity, jazz club space for music fans to enjoy.
"Containing a fully stocked bar and state of the art performance facilities, audiences can look forward to a developing programme of top quality Irish and international acts at The Cooler from MusicTown 2023 onwards."
MusicTown takes place at The Complex between 27 to 30 July with performance from Anna Mieke, Paddy Keenan, Zaska, Paddy Hanna, Elaine Malone, Junior Brother, Izumi Kimura, Iona Zajac, Adrian Crowley, Qbanaa, and many more.
